Authors: H.P. Lovecraft
Eldritch Tales (84 page)
Never one to miss an opportunity, Derleth signed off by adding that he was taking the liberty of sending under separate cover two of his own books ‘for your reading – time permitting’.
John Bush wrote back to the eagle-eyed Mr Jeffery on April .. to tell him how the missing line should read.
Due to some confusion, or perhaps editorial oversight, Victor Gollancz had publicly announced that with the publication of
Dagon and Other Macabre Tales
, ‘practically all’ of H.P. Lovecraft’s work was now in print in the United Kingdom. Not unsurprisingly, several dutiful readers begged to differ.
John Bush wrote to Derleth on August 14, 1967:
‘
Dear Mr Derleth,
I enclose a photostat of a letter we have just received from a Lovecraft fan. It appears that we may have been wrong in our assumption that the volumes,
Dagon,
The Haunter of the Dark and Other Tales of Horror
and
At the Mountains of Madness and Other Novels
represented all Lovecraft’s complete works. It would seem that you may have published a further volume which includes the novels and stories mentioned in Mr Valentine’s letter: if so, we should be very interested in publishing this.
Would you let me have your observations on the matter; and to make things easier for you I enclose the contents pages of our editions of the three volumes.
Yours sincerely,’
It appears that Bush had already been thinking about a fourth Lovecraft collection for some time. On a postcard dated June 11, 1967, Derleth had written: ‘I am sending you a copy of the Museum Press
Lurker at the Threshold
rather than an Arkham House, for their typeface is larger and easier to read. It should help to make up an omnibus fully the size of
Dagon or At the Mountains of Madness
.’
In fact, the question of exactly which Lovecraft stories Victor Gollancz had published had already come up in March that year when a P.C. Stoyle of Taunton, Somerset, had written to Livia Gollancz, who had by now taken over the company from her late father, and asked about the publication in Britain of the ‘Cthulhu Mythos’ stories (a term that Livia Gollancz was apparently unfamiliar with).
Derleth replied to John Bush’s enquiry on August 18: ‘Yes, it is true that Gollancz have
not
published all the Lovecraft stories, and there is a volume that could indeed be made of those that remain.’
He then went on to relate the history of how the British publisher had acquired the rights to Lovecraft’s fiction: ‘When the late Sir Victor Gollancz visited some years ago this country (ca, 1950), he was much taken with two of our books. These were
Best Supernatural Stories of Lovecraft
and my own ‘
In Re: Sherlock Holmes
’/
The Adventures of Solar Pons
. I had prepared the former for World Publishing Company from our
Outsider and Others
, a now very rare book commanding $200 and up per copy in any condition. He wanted to take both on, but preferred to publish rather a selection of the stories from the
Best
, with a new introduction by me. This became your volume,
The Haunter of the Dark
.’
It seems that, once again, Derleth could not resist an opportunity to promote his own work. He then continued, ‘The stories omitted from the book, together with two which were added later, became (that is, in addition to the stories in Haunter), our book
The Dunwich Horror & Others
. I am now sending you a copy of this, together with a paperback of
The Survivor & Others
, and two separate volumes entitled,
The Shuttered Room & C
, and
The Dark Brotherhood & C
.’
After listing all the stories in these volumes (including his own ‘posthumous collaborations’ with Lovecraft), Derleth suggested: ‘These 16 stories could be put into one volume if you’re so inclined, perhaps under the title
The Shadow Out of Time
– or some similar title which need not be reflected in the book:
Shadows Out of Time and Space
, etc.’
In a closing paragraph, Derleth made one more attempt to sell his own work by including some information on his Solar Pons detective books. ‘Sir Victor’s interest in my pastiches did not decline,’ he explained, ‘but it was not sufficient to overcome the blunting his desire to publish in England received from the firm’s legal counsel, which feared that the ever-litigous [sic] Adrian Conan Doyle would commence an action claiming an invasion of proprietary rights or some such thing. I understand that he has been severely rebuked by the courts, and has considerably mellowed in recent years; it may be that Messrs. Gollancz might be again interested in doing these collections over there.’
Scribbled in red ink next to this postscript, in John Bush’s handwriting, are the words ‘Suggest no reply’.
Derleth also used the same correspondence to mention again his ‘collaboration’ with Lovecraft: ‘
The Lurker at the Threshold
is not available over there, incidentally,’ he helpfully pointed out, ‘for Museum Press issued it in 1948 and have refused to reissue.’
This piece of information seems to have stimulated Bush’s interest. A pair of scribbled sheets, containing a list of possible contents for a fourth Lovecraft collection from Gollancz, includes
The Lurker at the Threshold
with the notation ‘one of his most famous stories’. Below this note is written: ‘Some by Lovecraft & some by L & Derleth’.
On October 18,1967, Bush wrote to E.D. Nisbet, a director of the Museum Press Ltd in London: ‘Confirming my conversation with you, we are anxious to include the story
The Lurker at the Threshold
by H.P. Lovecraft in the fourth volume of the complete stories of H.P. Lovecraft which we are publishing next spring. August Derleth, the proprietor of Arkham House and Lovecraft’s literary executor, writes to say that this story would not be available for us, “Museum Press issued it in 1948 and have refused to reissue”.’
Perhaps aware of the previous problems that had arisen over the rights to Lovecraft’s work between Derleth and Gollancz, Bush added: ‘Derleth has obviously got his facts mixed up a bit but, as there may be some agent or other party involved, I should be most grateful if you could throw any light on the matter.
‘I appreciate that you are perfectly willing for us to include this story in our volume, but it is well to get the facts straightened out.
‘With many thanks for your co-operation.’
E.D. Nisbet replied two days later:
‘
Dear Mr Bush
,
THE LURKER AT THE THRESHOLD
By H.P. Lovecraft
I have made an extensive search through our archives, which are deposited in a very dusty vault, but unfortunately I have not succeeded in finding either the agreement or the correspondence relating to the above book. It looks as if they have gone astray during one or other of the moves and reorganizations to which the firm was subjected in the past. I am therefore unable to give you any definite information about this book, since it went out of print long before the time of anyone now connected with the firm.
I am afraid it looks as if you will have to rely upon obtaining permission from the author’s literary executor, whom you may of course inform that Museum Press have relinquished all claim to any rights in the book.
Yours sincerely,
for MUSEUM PRESS LIMITED
’
This was, of course, exactly the news that John Bush wanted to hear. He wrote to Derleth on, appropriately, Hallowe’en 1967 to inform him that the previous publisher had been unable to find any definite information, adding: ‘In view of this letter from the Museum Press, I am assuming that we may include
The Lurker at the Threshold
in our new volume.’
Two days later, Bush wrote to Derleth again, noting that Gollancz did not possess a copy of the book (no mention is made to what happened to the Museum Press copy Derleth had mailed to the publisher back in June) and requesting it ‘in some shape or form and we can then get the whole volume cast off and find out what sort of proposition it is going to be so that we can make you an offer.’
Derleth was obviously elated by all that was happening and replied on November 4, 1967: ‘By all means include
The Lurker at the Threshold
in your new Lovecraft book; I am delighted to learn that Museum Press have relinquished claims on the book. This time though, since the sale was not made by them, I would prefer that you bypass Scott Meredith and send your contract, similar to those made with our agents, directly to me for signature, and payments likewise.’
The contracts for a fourth Lovecraft collection were drawn up and sent to Derleth on November 8. The advance offered by Gollancz had once again returned to £200.00, payable half on signature and half on publication, against a rising royalty. Derleth returned a signed copy of the contract on November 24, and terms were eventually agreed on December 13.